Three Track Week #29: Songs That Pull You In
- Anne
- 18 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Different sounds, different moods, but none of these three songs takes long to find its way under your skin.
Southern rock, soft indie pop and melodic punk don't seem like obvious neighbors. Yet Tristan Tritt, Willie J Healey and Camiches all make songs that rely on something pretty simple: once they start, they keep you listening. "Living The Dream" moves with its guitars and steady rhythm, "S'all Good" takes a much quieter route, while "Te Tengo Que Olvidar" grabs you with its chorus. This week's Three Track Week 29 brings them together through that immediate pull - three songs that each find their own way of making you stay.
Listen to this week's Three Track Week 29 selection:
This week's tracks are available in our playlist INDIENOXZINE | Selections, updated weekly on Spotify. Yeah, we know that Spotify isn’t exactly great for independent artists, so you can now listen to our playlists on SoundCloud, too - free to listen, no Premium subscription needed.
Tristan Tritt - When "Living the Dream" Stops Feeling Like One
"Living the dream" isn't always meant as a compliment anymore. People say it after a long shift, another bill, or one of those days where nothing seems to get any easier. Somewhere along the way, the phrase started meaning something very different. That's where Tristan Tritt begins. "Living The Dream" takes an expression almost everyone knows and turns it into something much more complicated, without losing the grit and energy that drive the song forward.
Sound / Mood
The country guitar got me first. Just that steady strumming, and then the vocal comes in warm and easy. The melody is one of those that doesn't need much time before you know where it's going.The drums stay pretty soft, which I liked. They carry the song without getting in the way. Then the guitars push harder when the chorus arrives and suddenly the whole thing feels bigger. The chorus is very easy to get into without sounding like it was built just to be catchy. There's a bottleneck guitar in the second verse that really works for me. It's a small detail, but it fills the space nicely and gives that part of the song a bit more color. Everything seems to have its place. The vocal sits right in the middle of the arrangement, while the guitars keep giving the track its character. I also liked the bridge. It pulls things back to guitar, vocals and smooth drums before the song starts building again. By the ending, it feels like the track has nowhere else to go except out with a bit of force. It's cleanly produced and very balanced, but the guitars keep it from feeling too neat.
Why This Matters
The title did most of the work before I'd even pressed play. "Living the dream" is one of those things people say with a laugh when they're having a terrible day. I kept thinking about that while the song was playing. There's plenty of frustration in the song, but it never feels defeated. Tristan sounds like he's letting something out rather than trying to explain everything that's wrong with the world. I actually liked that. Sometimes a song doesn't need to solve the problem it's talking about. It can just give that feeling somewhere to go. And with that chorus, it's easy to imagine people shouting the words back at him.
Context
"Living The Dream" is the latest single from Georgia-born singer-songwriter Tristan Tritt, co-written with Jerry Fuentes and Kaitlin Stark. Raised on the road alongside his father, country-rock artist Travis Tritt, Tristan has developed a sound that brings together country, Southern rock, Americana and alt-rock without simply leaning on that family connection. The single marks the start of a new run of music for Tritt, with more releases expected in the coming months. His guitar-forward sound and growing audience have already taken him onto the road extensively, while "Living The Dream" gives a good indication of where this next chapter is heading.
🎧 Stream "Living The Dream" on Apple Music · Follow Tristan Tritt on Instagram
Willie J Healey - Finding Beauty In The Waiting
Waiting can make time feel strange. A few days can feel like a week. A quiet room can suddenly feel much louder than it should. And sometimes you end up convincing yourself that something is about to change, even when there's not much evidence that it will. That's the feeling I got from "S'all Good". There's something hopeful about the song, but it isn't particularly cheerful. It feels more like someone trying to make peace with where they are while still quietly hoping that something will come along and change it.
Sound / Mood
The piano comes in first, with that little arpeggio and then the harmonized vocals. I liked the sound of the voice straight away. It's strong, but never pushed. It stays pretty much in the same range throughout the song, which somehow makes it feel even more relaxed. The drums are there, but barely. They give the track a pulse without turning it into a big production. The whole thing kind of floats along. It's very chill, very easy to listen to and I still found myself quietly moving with it. The guitar does something similar. Most of the time it's just sitting there, strumming away, while little solo parts appear in the background. Then towards the end, the guitar starts coming forward and the vocals fall back. That was probably my favorite part of the arrangement. Suddenly you're hearing the song differently without the track actually changing that much. There's more going on than you notice at first, but nothing gets messy. It has a very natural feeling to it, almost like you're hearing a few musicians playing together rather than listening to something that's been polished into every last detail.
Why This Matters
I like songs that don't try to cheer you up when you're clearly not having the best time. "S'all Good" has that feeling. It's sad, but it doesn't stay down there. There's something almost comforting about the way it keeps moving, as if the song has accepted that things might not turn out the way you wanted and decided to carry on anyway. Maybe that's also why the title works. "S'all Good" sounds almost dismissive when you say it out loud. But here it feels more like something you're trying to convince yourself of. And honestly, I think we've all done that.
Context
"S'all Good" is the first taste of Willie J Healey's new EP "143", coming September 4 via V2. The track started at home, with Healey experimenting with guitar tunings and pitching things down on his 4-track during a difficult few weeks. He later took it to New York, where he worked on the basic recording with producer Loren Humphrey, before finishing it back home in Bristol. That home-recorded feeling is part of what makes the song work for me. Healey describes ”143" as a collection of favorites pulled from different sessions, some made entirely at home and others recorded with Humphrey in New York. Even the title came from something fairly ordinary: a friend sent him "143" and he had to figure out that it meant "I love you". There isn't much fuss around any of it. Just songs from different places, different moments and different moods, put together because Healey wanted them there.
🎧 Stream "S'all Good" on Apple Music · Follow Willie J Healey on Instagram
Camiches - Finding Energy Inside The Heavy Stuff
Some songs are heavy because they want to hit hard. Others have something underneath all that noise. That's what I got from "Te Tengo Que Olvidar". Camiches don't hold back on the guitars or drums, but there is a strong melodic side to the song that keeps pulling you back in. It feels emotional without becoming soft, and there's enough energy in it to make you want to move.
Sound / Mood
The guitars start with that strumming sound before the heavier riff comes in. Then the drums take over and keep everything moving. The vocals are strong and sit really well in the track. I especially liked the harmonies. They add a lot without making the song feel crowded. The bass and drums keep pushing underneath and then the chorus opens everything up with the backing vocals. It's catchy. Very pop-punk in places. I could easily see people jumping around to this one live. What I liked most is that nothing feels misplaced. There are heavy guitars, drums, bass, lead vocals and all those harmonies, but everything seems to know where it belongs. The production is clean without taking away the energy of the song.
Why This Matters
I kept coming back to the chorus. It's the kind of hook that gets stuck without having to work very hard for it. You hear it and a few minutes later you're still humming it. For a song dealing with something as heavy as having to let someone go, that contrast works. The music doesn't sit around feeling miserable. It gives the emotion some energy. And honestly, sometimes that's exactly what I want from a punk song.
Context
"Te Tengo Que Olvidar" appears on Camiches' new album "El Dolor de lo Irremediable", the Mexico City band's ten-track exploration of heartbreak, memory, loss, resilience and growing up. Camiches call their sound "Feeling Core", combining the urgency of punk and hardcore with melancholy, nostalgia and more melodic elements. The album was produced by brothers Ramsés and Sinuhé López, who also wrote and composed the songs. Since forming in 2012, Camiches have built their reputation through a DIY approach and extensive touring across Mexico, the US, Canada, Central America, Panama and Colombia. The new record continues that connection between the band's punk roots and a much more personal side of their songwriting.
🎧 Stream "Te Tengo Que Olvidar" on Apple Music · Follow Camiches on Instagram
Three artists. Three very different ways of keeping a song moving. Tristan Tritt does it with guitars and a chorus that stays in your head, Willie J Healey lets the music drift along at its own pace and Camiches push everything forward with punk energy and melody. None of them sounds like it's trying too hard to make an impression. They just find their own way into your head, which is probably why I can already see myself coming back to all three.
Further perspectives are available in our Artist Features, Cultural Essays and On This Track, each situating music within broader cultural and structural contexts.
Comments